The International strategies of Fiat and Generali – Last week, the foreign press turned the spot light on the strategies of large Italian groups. Fiat attracted attention as it prepared to complete its reorganization of the control of industrial vehicles (Bloomberg Businessweek wrote about Cnh Industrial on June 6 – Fiat Industrial announces name of merged company), and the merger with Chrysler. There was also news about Exor the Agnelli family’s holding company, which has sold its assets in SGS, the Swiss certification company, as a way of strengthening its position for the creation of the new Italian-American car company. (June 3 and 4 in the Financial Times – Agnellis sell €2bn stake in SGS*; Wall Street Journal – Fiat Parent Sells Asset Ahead of Chrysler Buy *; Valor Economico – Família Agnelli manterá controle da Fiat *; Expansion – Los Agnelli venden SGS para asaltar a Chrysler con más fuerza).
Generali is also operating in the United States, selling its US life insurance business as a part of the plan presented by CEO Mario Greco to boost profit and increase capital (June 3 Financial Times – Generali sells US life reinsurance business to Scor for $920m and Bloomberg Businessweek – Scor Buys Generali’s U.S. Life Reinsurance Unit for $750 Million).
Fashion and friends – The foreign press is always interested in Italian fashion. Along with presentations from famous names like Giorgio Armani (the opening of the new boutique was reported on June in El Mundo – La noche romana se viste de Giorgio Armani), there was also new about the financial operation where Silvio Scaglia to takek over the luxury lingerie brand La Perla. The company’s investment of 110 million euro was reported on June 6 by Bloomberg Businessweek (Italian entrepreneur takes control of La Perla) and Le Figaro (La Perla prend un nouveau départ). Fashion was also the subject of the interview lunch that the Financial Times had with Franca Sozzani, the editor of Vogue that the London paper defined as the most influential woman in Italian fashion (June 1 – Lunch with the FT: Franca Sozzani), while the New York Times reported on the commitment of brands like Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld in restoration of some of Rome’s fountains (June 4 – More Than Coins for Rome’s Fountains).
Tourism and Italian cuisine – There were also the customary mentions of tourism and culture. Le Figaro visited the pavilions of the Venice Biennale, called the Olypmic games of talent and art ( June 4 – Une Biennale de Venise sans limite d’age), while Bangkok Post discussed the Thai pavilion all’esposizione (5 giungo – Dropping in ON Venice). An article in El Pais was also about art and the triennale plans of Hangar Bicocca (June 3 – Todolí reconstruye en Milán la obra de Juan Muñoz para la sala de las turbinas). Instead, the New York Times took its readers on a tour of Italy’s thousand Baroque churches (June 2 – On a Road Trip in Sicily, Churches Everywhere).
Finally, as always, there was interest in Italian cuisine and wines. The Wall Street Journal wrote with curiosity about the new passion of Tuscan producers for artisan beers (June 6 – What’s Brewing in Tuscany? ), and the New York Times dedicated an article about the wine classic Aglianico (June 6 – Aglianico Emerges From the Bottom of Italy’s Boot). Finally, Die Welt published a review of the Osteria Francescana di Modena (7 giugno – Die Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italien).
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